


The Kissing Game

by Zenece



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenece/pseuds/Zenece
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My own version of 'The Killing Game' and what happened next.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kissing Game

PART ONE

“Welcome to Le Coeur de Lion! I am Catherine. The first round is with my compliments, on one condition: you leave the war outside!”

From her table in the far corner, Brigitte could see her lover playing the role of generous owner of this little establishment.   
And she did it so well. They all did. Smiling and drinking wine with the officers of the Third Reich in the evening, plotting schemes and aiding the allied troops during the day. 

Le Coeur de Lion housed the heart of the local French resistance. The members risked their lives every day, fighting against the occupation by the Nazi’s. And they did it with a smile.  
Brigitte was proud to be part of this group. She’d joined from the beginning and was determined to force out the enemy troops. 

She’d made a lot of sacrifices over the years. She’d crossed a lot of lines.   
Brigitte reflexively placed a hand on the unborn life she carried. The baby was half German. All is fair in love and war.   
But lately she’d felt like this war had gone on long enough.

Brigitte tore her gaze away from Catherine and forced herself to smile at her German ‘boyfriend’, a Nazi Kapitän who was telling her all about the beautiful village in Germany where he’d grown up.   
“After the war we will move back there. I will enjoy seeing our child play in the fields behind my parent’s farm.” 

The very thought made Brigitte sick to the stomach.   
“That would be wonderful!” She smiled with as much false delight as she could muster. 

The blond man in front of her took her hand. “I know it is difficult for you that we can’t see each other very often. But the neighbors make your life hard enough already because we’re together.” 

“I’ll be alright.” Brigitte said softly, getting fed up with pretending all the time.   
Cocking her head with a seductive smile, she moved slightly with the music.   
“Would you dance with me?”   
Anything to stop him from talking.

They moved to the dance floor and Brigitte’s eyes again lingered momentarily in the direction of her lover.   
Tonight, just like every other night, Catherine was just Catherine, owner of Le Coeur de Lion.   
But later, after all the people had gone... 

Brigitte closed her eyes briefly, wishing she didn’t have to play this game anymore, then swallowed and smiling at the man who was holding her close she danced the night away. 

~ * ~

It was many hours later that night when Brigitte sat on the bed, little by little unbuttoning her blouse. She watched Catherine hang her white blazer over the back of a chair and go over to the mirror. 

“Did the good Kapitän have anything interesting to say tonight?” Catherine asked in a clipped voice while untying her white bowtie with brisk movements. 

Brigitte slid the blouse from her shoulders and put it down next to her on the bed. She shook her head slowly.   
“No...” 

Standing up, she opened the catch and zipper of her skirt and with a little difficulty slid it down over her protruding belly.   
“All he could talk about was taking me and the baby to Germany after the war.” 

“Hmm.” Catherine grunted.   
“I didn’t have much luck either. Although I did meet the new Kommandant.” She put the bowtie aside and started unbuttoning her blouse with nimble fingers.   
“Not to be underestimated, I believe. Seemed like the cunning type.” 

“He really wants to be a father for this baby.” Brigitte whispered softly as she donned her nightgown. 

Catherine took off her pants and grabbed her own nightwear.   
“I have to keep this Kommandant on my good side.” She mused.   
“Maybe if I set up a performance by Mademoiselle DuNeuf every time he’s here. He seems to like her. And drinks will be on the house of course.” 

Brigitte suddenly shook her head in disgust and placed her hands on her belly protectively.   
“If he ever puts as much as a finger on my baby I will scratch his eyes out!” 

Surprised Catherine turned around, only now paying attention to what her lover was saying. When she saw the upset look on Brigitte’s face, she moved to her and took the woman in her arms.   
“Sshh, it’s alright.” 

“What happens if the baby is born before the war is over?” Brigitte whispered vehemently.   
“I don’t want him to ever TOUCH this child.”

“It won’t come to that darling.” Catherine soothed her lover.   
“American troops are due to invade any day now. The war is almost over.” 

Brigitte snuggled deeper in the warm embrace. “I’m so tired of it Cathy.” 

“I know ma chère. You just have to hold on a little longer.” Catherine pulled back a little, looking the other woman in the eyes and placed her hand on her belly.   
“When it’s all over, the three of us will make a new life for ourselves.”   
She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Brigitte’s lips.   
“Now, let’s go to bed. It’s late.” 

Under the covers, Catherine spooned against her lover, placing one hand protectively on the woman’s belly. She felt Brigitte settle back in her arms as sleep overtook her.   
“I love you.” Catherine whispered. “Both of you.”

~ * ~

Brigitte and Catherine, along with some members of the local resistance, stood next to the radio, deciphering the code that British Intelligence was sending masqueraded as a weather report.

Catherine read the encrypted message from Allied Command out loud.   
“American Fourth Infantry to invade Saint Claire Tuesday dawn. Require assistance. Disable enemy communication. End message.” 

She tapped a pencil against her lips.   
“The German radio transmitter is housed at their Headquarters. That building is heavily guarded.” Catherine glanced around the small group of people around her.   
“Any ideas?”

“Maybe I can help.” Brigitte spoke up. 

“How?” Mademoiselle DuNeuf, the singer slash weapon’s expert, asked in clipped voice. 

“I could pretend to be upset.” Brigitte clarified.   
“I would need to see my ‘special friend’, even if it means bothering him at the office.” 

“A reconnaissance mission.” DuNeuf stated, liking the idea. 

Brigitte nodded. “I could locate the radio, see where the guards are posted, examine the locks, gather enough information to get us inside.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Catherine countered, not wanting to expose her lover to unnecessary risks.   
“If you’re caught you’ll be tortured for information.” 

“You don’t know ‘my friend’.” Brigitte tried to convince her. “He would never do anything to harm his own child.”

While locking eyes with her lover, Catherine slowly nodded. However much she wanted to protect this woman and the life she was carrying, desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Encode a response to Allied Command. Confirm that we’ve received their message. Tell them we’re proceeding according to plan.” 

~ * ~ 

After Brigitte’s successful infiltration of the German Headquarters, a small party of the Resistance stood hunched over a map of Saint Claire, devising the best strategy to take out the radio transmitter.

“You’ll maintain position here, twenty meters from the front doors.” Catherine ordered one of the operatives. “Arm yourself with a submachine gun and watch for any sign of trouble.” 

The man nodded. “Understood.”

“Now,” Catherine continued, looking at DuNeuf, “we’ve observed a twenty second break in the guard rotation at four fifteen a.m. That should give you and me enough time to enter the building through the storm window on the eastern wall.” 

Brigitte sketched a layout of the building on a piece of paper.   
“When I was there yesterday, I saw guards posted at all three stairways. You’ll have to reach the second floor through the elevator shaft. The command post is at the main gallery at the end of the hall.”

Catherine nodded. “Once inside, we plant the charges, blow the transmitter.”   
She looked at Brigitte. “You’ll remain here. If something goes wrong and we’re caught, destroy all evidence of the Underground. Our contact list, decryption codes, everything.” 

“Right.”

Catherine looked around. “We leave in one hour.” 

Everyone nodded and scattered out to prepare for the mission. 

Brigitte stepped closer to her lover who was folding the maps.   
“Be careful out there.” 

Catherine turned around and placed a hand on the other woman’s cheek.   
“I will be. I promise.” 

~ * ~

PART TWO

Kathryn Janeway felt a little confused.   
As the sharp pain in her skull subsided, she realized she was holding an ancient looking weapon and pointing it at Seven of Nine.   
Lowering it, she looked around, not recognizing where she was. There were sounds of gunfire.

“Captain?” Seven drew her attention. 

“What...?” 

Before she could finish her question, Seven gave her a brief sketch of the situation.   
“We are on the Holodeck. Hirogen hunters have taken over the ship. They have the crew participating in various violent simulations, using neural interfaces to make them believe they’re a part of the program. Yours and mine have been disabled by the Doctor.”  
She made a vague gesture, indicating her surroundings. “This is a recreation of World War II. We’re at the Nazi Headquarters.”

Kathryn caught up quickly, remembering Voyager being overtaken by the Hirogen hunters.   
She brushed passed Seven to access the Holodeck controls the young woman had uncovered moments earlier.   
“Internal sensors are picking up thirteen Hirogen on this Holodeck.” 

All of a sudden the shooting noises became a lot louder and the building shook under the assault.

“The Americans have arrived.” Seven stated dryly.

“I can’t access the ship’s systems.” Kathryn informed her, still tapping the controls. She was in full Captain-mode, her mind plotting schemes on how to rescue her crew and regain control over the ship. 

A particularly loud bang resonated just then and Kathryn looked up, frowning.

“Didn’t you say this was Nazi Headquarters?” She yelled over the noise. 

“I did.” Seven replied.

Kathryn nodded briefly. “Then it would stand to reason this building is being targeted. Let’s get out of here.” 

Both women hurried out of the building.  
Just as they cleared it, a large explosion took place, leaving a huge hole in the Holodeck grid. It exposed several of Voyager’s decks.

“Come on!” Kathryn pulled Seven up from the ground and they made a mad dash for the gaping hole, exiting the Holodeck and finding their way back to the twenty-fourth century.

They moved through the corridors with care, trying to steer clear from enemy troops that were obviously capable of moving through the hole as well. 

“Looks like the Hirogen have been busy. This entire section has been equipped with holo-emitters.” Kathryn half-whispered.   
“Let’s go to Astrometrics.”

They made their way into the lab, quickly taking out a German soldier who was trying to make sense of the technology. 

Seven headed for the console.   
“There are eighty-five Hirogen on board, concentrated on decks two through nine.”

“What about the Bridge?” Kathryn inquired.

“Four Hirogen and Ensign Kim.” Seven stated.

Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief. “Well at least he’s alive. Now. The neural interfaces, you said they’re controlled through Sickbay.” 

Seven nodded and tapped the console.   
“There is only one Hirogen in Sickbay with the Doctor. But the corridors outside are heavily guarded.” 

“That’s our first objective, disable the interfaces. But we’ll need help.” Kathryn planned.

“We did have allies in the World War II simulation. The French resistance.” Seven pointed out helpfully.

A grin broke through on Kathryn’s features.   
“It’s time we mount a resistance of our own...”

~ * ~

Kathryn and Seven crawled through the Jeffries tubes, back to Holodeck one. Opening the hatch, they emerged one after the other only to find themselves looking down the barrel of a gun. 

“Hold your fire!” Kathryn put up one hand.

“Catherine, you survived.” It was Tuvok who spoke.   
And there was Chakotay, and Tom, and B’Elanna and Neelix.  
Kathryn was relieved to see the members of her crew unharmed but then she realised they didn’t recognize her. 

“Are you surprised?” She asked Tuvok, quickly playing along.

He raised one eyebrow. “Very. Nazi Headquarters was destroyed. We assumed you were killed in the explosion.” 

Neelix pointed at the open hatch. “What’s that, some kind of escape route?” 

“Precisely.” Seven answered, more familiar with the specific plot and its characters than Kathryn was. She gave a brief explanation about their adventures, finding herself surrounded by an attentive public.

As the group discussed these recent developments, Brigitte took Kathryn aside.

“I knew you’d make it.”

To Kathryn’s surprise, the pregnant woman pulled her close and gave her one of the most passionate kisses she’d ever experienced.   
When they parted, there was nothing she could do but stand there, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, for one eternity forgetting everything but B’Elanna’s soft lips on her own. 

But this wasn’t B’Elanna kissing her. This was Brigitte kissing Catherine. 

Before Kathryn could wrap her head around it and react in some way, Tuvok and Chakotay called for her, asking for her input, as leader of the resistance, on how to proceed.   
Together with Seven she devised a strategy to get to Sickbay and disable the neural interfaces, explaining it so that it fit in the World War II scenario. 

Kathryn did her best to ignore Brigitte as she prepared everything. Much to her own surprise, her heartbeat quickened when the young woman came up to her. 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just bomb this new Nazi complex?” Brigitte asked defiantly. 

Kathryn swallowed. The close proximity to this woman made her nervous. 

Seven stepped up. “We should attempt to neutralize it from inside. There are many new technologies we could use to our advantage.” 

Brigitte looked at her lover for confirmation. 

“She’s right.” Kathryn nodded.

As Brigitte moved to the other side of the room, Kathryn turned to Seven.   
“What’s her story?” She asked, both eyebrows raised. 

“The child she is carrying is from a German Kapitän. However I believe she has the intention to raise it with you.” Seven supplied helpfully.

“Right.” Was all Kathryn could think of to say. 

“This is a program created by Lieutenant Paris.” Seven offered by way of explaining Brigitte’s behavior. 

Kathryn just rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “I guess I should’ve seen it coming.”

From the window, Chakotay shouted a warning. “German forces are advancing on our position.” 

There wasn’t much time.  
Kathryn opened the hatch. “Let’s get moving.” 

~ * ~

PART THREE

With the Hirogen off the ship and her crew back to being themselves, everything was back to normal, Kathryn mused, sitting at her desk in her Ready Room.   
As normal as things could be on this particular starship anyway.   
There would be no lasting damage. The hole in the Hologrid could be repaired in a matter of weeks and the crew luckily didn’t experience any side effects of the neural interfaces. 

This was just another event for the logs. Archive and forget.   
But not all of it was forgotten so easily. 

Kathryn Janeway had trouble forgetting the kiss she’d shared with B’Elanna.  
It made her feel embarrassed. Captains didn’t go around kissing members of their crew. Even if the member in question wasn’t exactly herself at the time and didn’t recall a thing about it now. It was definitely not done.

What bothered her more though were the lingering feelings. They confused her to no end. She’d never thought of B’Elanna in that way before, never imagined what it would be like to kiss her.   
But since that kiss she’d found herself wondering about the half Klingon... 

Leaning back in her chair, Kathryn sighed deeply.   
There was of course also the possibility that she was projecting years of pent up needs on the younger woman. Needs that had been brought to the surface by an unexpected kiss.   
In which case B’Elanna was only the catalyst, not the one she actually harbored feelings for. 

Kathryn buried her face in her hands. This wasn’t going to work, she decided. Her mind was going round in circles.   
Checking the chronometer she saw it was almost time for the lunch date she had with Chakotay. Hopefully that would give her the diversion she needed.   
The Commander had this way about him; his presence usually calmed her. She hoped it would do so now as well.

When Kathryn entered the Mess Hall, she saw Chakotay standing at the counter, talking to Neelix and B’Elanna.  
Kathryn hadn’t spoken directly to her Chief Engineer since the neural interfaces had been disabled and wasn’t quite prepared to see the woman, who’d been running through her mind since their adventure on the Holodeck, in the flesh. 

“It was so heavy. And you wouldn’t believe how real it felt.” Kathryn heard her saying in wonder. “It even kicked!” 

A mild blush appeared on Kathryn’s cheeks as she remembered just how the holographic pregnancy had felt when B’Elanna stood pressed up intimately against her.   
This was all so very confusing. 

Tucking her insecurity neatly under her command mask, she stepped up to the counter, smiling and nodding hello to all three of them. 

“B’Elanna was just lively describing how it feels to be pregnant.” Chakotay chuckled lightly. 

“Yes, I remember seeing you a little thicker than usual, Lieutenant.” Kathryn replied kindly while her insides were slowly turning into jelly.

“Let me tell you it’s a strange sensation to suddenly find yourself eight months pregnant in what seems like the blink of an eye.” B’Elanna grinned. “I can honestly say that this is something I’ll remember for a long time.” 

“You’re not the only one.” Neelix stated, putting lunch on plates. “I became myself again next to two very intoxicated Klingon warriors singing drinking songs. I can assure you it gets your blood pumping!”

“I can imagine.” Chakotay smiled, taking a plate and turning to B’Elanna. He gestured at one of the tables. “The Captain and I were going to have lunch. You’re welcome to join us if you want.” 

At that suggestion, Kathryn experienced a slight feeling of panic. This was not the kind of diversion she’d had in mind. 

“I wou...” B’Elanna started to accept, but then saw the brief flash of alarm in her Captain’s eyes.   
B’Elanna stood there for a moment, mouth slightly open; thinking that maybe the Captain wouldn’t really appreciated it if she stayed, if her now carefully concealed first reaction was any indication. 

“You know what, I’d love to, but I already have plans.” She stated, nodding to both officers. “Enjoy your lunch!”   
As she made her way out of the Mess Hall she wondered why the Captain seemed so relieved she’d declined Chakotay’s offer.

Kathryn’s eyes followed B’Elanna across the room, while relief and desire were fighting a frustrating war inside her.   
As the Mess Hall’s door closed, she redirected her attention to Chakotay, who was busy putting their plates on the table.

“So, what about you Kathryn?” He asked as both of them sat down. “Any bizarre memories on that Holodeck?” 

Kathryn grinned at him cheekily. “Oh you’re forgetting, Commander, that while the rest of you were having fun playing soldier, I was busy taking back the ship from the Hirogens.”

“My mistake.” Chakotay flashed his dimples at her.   
He gestured at the meals in front of them. “Well, bon appétit!” 

~ * ~

Kathryn stood in front of B’Elanna’s quarters that evening, her hand hovering over the chime, searching for a reason not to press it.   
It was late; the younger woman might be asleep. 

But then Kathryn thought of going back to her own quarters, lying in bed with nothing but the turmoil in her head to focus on. That wasn’t very appealing.   
This was the only way to get some answers. 

So Kathryn pressed the doorchime, requesting entrance.   
There was a muffled ‘come in’ and the doors slid open. 

“Captain.” B’Elanna stated more than a little surprised when she saw who was outside.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you.” Kathryn said, nervously smiling. 

B’Elanna shook her head. “Not at all. Please, come in.”

Kathryn walked in, wondering what she was doing there. What was she going to say? ‘You kissed me on the Holodeck and now I think I have feelings for you but I’m not sure?’   
It sounded so ridiculous. 

“So,” she started lightheartedly, “I hope you’ve recovered well from the horrors of sudden holographic pregnancy?” 

B’Elanna nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright.”   
Surely, she thought, the Captain wouldn’t come here just to ask that? 

There was a bit of an awkward pause where both women were unsure how to proceed. 

“Eh, why don’t you sit down?” B’Elanna asked, remembering her manners. “Can I get you anything?” 

“Vulcan spice tea please.” Kathryn answered, quite relieved that the other woman was breaking the silence. 

“No coffee?” The engineer asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, it’s late.” Kathryn clarified with a half smile.   
She was warped up enough already. No need to add caffeine to the mix. 

Moving over to the sofa, Kathryn sat down. She let her gaze drift around the room a bit and finally let her eyes rest on B’Elanna’s back.   
Again she felt the powerful tug of some unidentified attraction.   
‘I can’t handle this.’ She thought. And the idea of getting up and sprinting out of the room briefly flooded her mind.

B’Elanna turned around, holding two cups and walked to the sitting area. She placed the drinks on the side table and joined her superior officer on the couch.   
Again, she couldn’t help but wonder why the woman was here.   
Nor could she figure out why the Captain was acting so strange; first with the weird look at lunchtime and now the way she was almost fidgeting in her seat. 

“So I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here?” Kathryn voiced B’Elanna’s thoughts.

“A little.” B’Elanna admitted, getting more curious by the minute.

Kathryn sucked in her bottom lip and nodded, but stayed silent, internally summoning up courage. 

B’Elanna still couldn’t make heads or tails of her behavior.   
“Captain,” she asked, slightly leaning closer in concern, “is there a problem of some kind?” 

Kathryn looked up and locked on to B’Elanna’s eyes, feeling a certain calm come over her, the kind of calm you get when you’ve just decided you’re going to dive in, head first, not caring about the consequences.

“There is.” She nodded slowly, allowing emotion to slip in her demeanor.   
“A bit of a problem, I mean.” 

B’Elanna noticed the change in the woman immediately. It was like the Captain had literally disappeared in the blink of an eye.   
There was something very different about this woman sitting next to her. Ironically, by showing the vulnerability lying underneath her command mask, she now seemed more formidable than ever.

“It’s a rather... personal... problem actually.” Kathryn carefully continued, now almost relishing the thrill that came with diving in the deep end, feeling a rush of adrenalin flow through her veins. 

“It’s about our recent little war simulation on the Holodeck.” She elaborated. “Did you know that our characters were...” she paused for a second, looking for the right word, “involved?” 

The slight widening of B’Elanna’s eyes and the faint tilt of her head told Kathryn that this in fact was a piece of information the woman hadn’t been privy to. 

“I know this,” Kathryn continued, “because at one point, when my neural interface was already disabled and yours wasn’t, you, or rather your character,” Kathryn waved her hand dismissively, “kissed me.” She paused. “Rather intimately.” 

“Right.” B’Elanna said after a beat, a little surprised by the revelation, but not quite sure what the problem was.   
“Even though I wasn’t exactly in control of my actions, I am sorry, Captain.” B’Elanna started with a questioning frown, thinking that maybe that was why Janeway was here. 

Kathryn smiled. “I didn’t come here for an apology B’Elanna.” 

“Oh.” B’Elanna stated, confusion gaining the upper hand again. “Then...?”

“I came here because I think I liked it.” Kathryn softly uttered. 

Brown eyes widened, in understanding this time. “I see...”

For a moment, neither woman really knew what to say or do. 

“You think you liked it.” B’Elanna repeated the words after a beat. 

“Yes.” Kathryn sat perfectly still, wondering what the other woman was thinking.

“So you’re not sure?” 

Kathryn pondered that for a moment.   
“No, I guess I’m not.” 

“Right.” B’Elanna nodded pensively. “And why is that?”  
She grinned. “Maybe you think I’m a bad kisser?” 

“No!” Kathryn replied quickly, a little too quickly. She blushed. “No, you’re actually a very good kisser.”   
Then she noticed B’Elanna’s grin and realized the woman was teasing her. She made a face in B’Elanna’s direction.

“I enjoyed the kiss in a way that surprised me.” Kathryn said, her expression again soft and serious. “But I’m not sure whether that was just because I hadn’t been kissed in a long time, or because it was YOU doing it.”

“And not knowing this troubles you.” B’Elanna stated. 

Kathryn nodded. “It does.” 

“Well,” B’Elanna continued, “there’s really only one thing you can do here to find out.” 

“What’s that?” Kathryn asked, slightly tilting her head, wondering what B’Elanna’s solution could entail. 

“You’ll have to kiss someone else and see if it has the same effect.” The half Klingon stated matter-of-factly, with matching hand gestures.

Kathryn’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Excuse me?” 

B’Elanna shrugged noncommittally. “It would make sense in a way. If you kissed, say, Chakotay, and it didn’t feel the same then...” 

“Chakotay?” Kathryn interrupted her with a chuckle. 

“I thought maybe you liked him?” B’Elanna backtracked, suddenly remembering that she was talking to the Captain. 

“I do. Very much, in fact. But as a friend, or like a brother.” Kathryn clarified. 

B’Elanna nodded. “Okay, so Chakotay is off the list. I’m sure he’s devastated.” She grinned as Kathryn threw her a look. “Let’s see, that leaves...” B’Elanna mentally made up a list, ticking the candidates off on her fingers.  
“Tuvok?”

“Oh please.” Kathryn played along.

“Young ensign Harry?”

Kathryn made a face. “Like kissing your son.”

“Seven?”

“Kissing your daughter.”

“What about the Doctor?” 

“Too boring.” Kathryn made a yawning gesture. “Next!”

“Tom Paris?”

“Too cocky.” 

“That leaves... Neelix?” B’Elanna said innocently.

Kathryn scrunched her nose. “I’m sure his whiskers would make me sneeze!” 

B’Elanna laughed. “Well, aren’t you the picky one!” 

“Well would YOU kiss any of them?” Kathryn defended herself, grinning.

“I have kissed Tom on a few occasions.” B’Elanna reminded her superior officer. “I guess he’s not a bad kisser. The spark just wasn’t there though.”   
She shrugged. “But to answer your question: no, bar Tom, I wouldn’t kiss any of them.” 

“Would you kiss me?” Kathryn blurted out without thinking and immediately froze on the spot, suddenly terrified the answer would be ‘no’ and even more terrified it would be ‘yes’.

B’Elanna blinked as she processed that unexpected question.   
She started nodding slowly. “Yes, I think I would.” 

An unidentifiable noise escaped from Kathryn’s throat. 

“Would you want that?” B’Elanna asked softly, wondering why she suddenly felt so courageous. “Would you like it if I kissed you?” 

“Yes.” Kathryn breathed, her entire world suddenly occupied with that thought and the feelings it evoked. 

B’Elanna stretched out her hand, gently tucking a strand of Kathryn’s hair behind her ear. Then placed her palm softly on Kathryn’s cheek, feeling her lean in on the touch.   
“Then maybe I will...” she whispered, caressing the woman’s lower lip with her thumb, “kiss you...” 

Kathryn placed a little kiss on the tip of the thumb and then took the hand in her own, gently kissing it on the knuckles.   
Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the soft touching of lips and skin.   
She turned the hand around and nuzzled into the palm before tenderly placing another kiss there.

As Kathryn felt the brush of a thigh against her own, she opened her eyes and noticed that B’Elanna had moved closer, her face now only inches away. 

Slowly, Kathryn reached out to touch the smooth skin of B’Elanna’s cheek and trailed her fingers over her face, the feel of it still foreign.   
She felt the subtle Klingon cranial ridges on her forehead and traced them, committing the pattern to memory. 

Her fingers then followed the other woman’s strong jaw line, reaching her delicate chin where they stopped for a moment.   
Then they traveled up a bit and with her index finger Kathryn appreciatively traced the bow of B’Elanna’s slightly parted lips, like the other woman had done to hers only moments earlier.

As B’Elanna grew a little bolder, her pert little tongue softly teased Kathryn’s digit and she noticed how the woman’s breathing hitched for a moment.   
She opened her mouth a little further and engulfed a part of the finger with her lips, then slowly, teasingly let it slide out again.   
Kathryn let out a soft moan as she did so and her shoulders slightly slumped forward.   
It felt like her whole being was on overload with all that had just transpired. 

Sensing that Kathryn needed a moment, B’Elanna put an arm around her and leaned back against the couch, arranging it so that the woman’s head was resting on her shoulder.   
In the relative silence that followed, she placed a small kiss on Kathryn’s hair, then let out a contented hum and smiled.

Kathryn stirred slightly, moving her head so that she could see B’Elanna’s face.   
It felt so good to be held like this. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had just wrapped their arms around her and simply held her. 

“Are you okay?” B’Elanna asked gently, already seeing the answer in deep blue eyes. 

“Yes, I am.” Kathryn replied in a soft voice.   
She shifted a bit, getting into a more comfortable position and put her arm around B’Elanna’s waist in a sort of return hug.   
“Can we just sit like this for a little while? I’d like that...” 

B’Elanna smiled at her. “Sure.” 

“Thanks.” Kathryn whispered and snuggled deeper in the embrace, feeling a kind of warmth settle into the deepest of her bones. 

~ * ~

PART FOUR

“Deck Eleven.” Kathryn briskly ordered as the doors of the turbolift swished shut. It obeyed her command and began its descent before its sole occupant had time to change her mind. 

It was perfectly natural for a Captain of a Starship to take an interest in Engineering, Kathryn told herself. No reason why she couldn’t just stroll in and look around for a bit.   
The warpcore was the heart of this ship after all. As head of the ship she had to be aware of how its heart was doing.

Getting out of the turbolift, Kathryn made her way to Main Engineering with confident strides.   
Ship’s business this was: matters of the heart. 

The doors opened as she approached, revealing something that quite resembled a bee hive.   
With the buzz of the warpcore in the background, people were moving around, seemingly at random, collecting data from consoles as if it were nectar from flowers and delivering it to the queen bee: B’Elanna Torres herself. 

Kathryn shook the image out of her head and observed the heightened activity of a level six warp core diagnostic in progress.   
B’Elanna and her staff were performing their tasks expertly. Kathryn smiled, proud to be commanding such a competent crew. 

“Captain.” Ensign Ashmore greeted her politely as he passed his Captain. 

Kathryn nodded. “Ensign.”   
She moved over to a nearby console, intending to check on progress. She didn’t really want to disturb B’Elanna in the middle of a diagnostic. 

Looking up from her own console next to the warpcore, B’Elanna spotted the figure of her commanding officer moving around with an air of natural authority.   
“Captain.” She drew the woman’s attention.

Kathryn turned around and headed in B’Elanna’s direction, feeling deliciously lightheaded.   
“Lieutenant.” 

“We’ve almost finished the level six diagnostic.” B’Elanna tapped her console and showed her the relevant data. “Preliminary results are quite satisfactory, although we have uncovered a slight decrease in the plasma flow in the secondary injector ports.” She reported. “It’s possible we’ll have to take them offline and give them a decent overhaul.”

Kathryn nodded, only half hearing what the woman was saying. Instead she was looking in her eyes, trying to find that special spark that she had seen the evening before when they’d been sitting on the couch together. 

“It shouldn’t really affect the rest of the ship’s operations though.” B’Elanna continued. “The primary injector ports could take over completely for the time necessary.” 

She looked up as Lieutenant Nicoletti came down from the upper level and handed her superior officer a PADD.   
“It looks like the magnetic constrictors are slightly out of alignment again Ma’am. You might want to take a look at this.” The woman informed her.

B’Elanna looked at the readout on the PADD. “Seems like you’re right Susan. Give me a hand with them, would you?”   
She turned to the other woman standing next to her. “I’ll have the report on your desk by tomorrow, Captain. Now if you’ll excuse me...” She pointed in the direction of the control panel she needed to work from. 

“Of course.” Kathryn said briskly.  
She watched as B’Elanna gave orders to her staff and tried to suppress the feeling of disappointment she was currently experiencing. 

‘Well what did you expect Katie?’ A little voice inside her head sneered. ‘That she’d drop everything, take you into her arms and magically freeze time so you could spend eternity looking into each other’s eyes?’   
Kathryn ignored it. 

But there hadn’t even been a hint of personal recognition.   
Had she misread B’Elanna’s feelings the evening before?   
Kathryn willed herself to see reason. B’Elanna’s behavior had been professional, nothing more; a very busy Chief Engineer reporting to her Captain. 

A little surprised at her own unexpected tendency to dramatize, Kathryn turned around and exited Engineering.

~ * ~

PART FIVE

Suppressing a yawn, Kathryn put the PADD she was reading on her desk. Neelix’s provisions report turned out not to be the most interesting reading material, especially not this early in the morning.   
Next time she’d ask him to summarize. Surely the phrase ‘We have enough food to last for another x months’ would be all the information she needed, she grinned. 

Her door chime sounded.

“Come in.” She said crisply.

Chakotay stepped inside her Ready Room, holding a short stack of PADDs.   
“What’s so funny?” 

Kathryn shrugged. “Provisions report.” She said, indicating the PADD in front of her. 

Chakotay raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying that, because there’s more to come.” He placed his PADDs one by one on her desk.  
“Provisions report update, analysis of the ship’s tactical status, progress report of repairs on the hologrid of Holodeck two and an astrometric survey of the sectors in front of us.” 

Groaning, Kathryn looked up at him, gesturing at the PADDs.   
“Well, since I obviously have a lot of other responsibilities, I’ve been thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to have mister Neelix report directly to you?” She tried.

Chakotay just grinned at her. “Enjoy.”   
He winked when she made a face at him and then left the Ready Room. 

Kathryn got up and headed over to the replicator. “Coffee, black.”   
If she was going to be stuck in her Ready Room reading reports all day, she’d need the extra boost.  
She selected the most interesting looking PADD, the astrometric report, and got comfortable on the couch. Time to see what was ahead of them. 

As she’d read through the first page, the door chime sounded, indicating someone was requesting entrance. 

“Come in.” She said, thinking it would be Chakotay again. 

Much to her enjoyment it was B’Elanna. 

“Good morning Lieutenant.” Kathryn smiled. 

“Captain.” B’Elanna smiled back and stretched out her hand, extending the PADD she was holding. “My report on the warp core diagnostic.” She clarified.

“Great. More work.” Kathryn muttered with twinkling eyes.   
She accepted the PADD and quickly scanned its content. She nodded. “Thanks, I’ll read through it in detail later.” 

“Busy day?” B’Elanna asked sympathetically. 

Kathryn rolled her eyes. “Just the fun part of being a starship Captain I suppose.” 

B’Elanna grinned. “Where are the Borg when you need them?” 

“They’re not out there.” Kathryn held up the astrometric report. “I checked!”

“Does that mean you’re free for dinner with me tonight?” B’Elanna asked coyly. 

Kathryn’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that would be great.” She answered with a shy smile, feeling a slight flutter in her stomach. 

“Great.” B’Elanna beamed. “My quarters, say... 1930?” 

“I’ll be there.” Kathryn confirmed. 

“Great.” B’Elanna repeated, taking a step back and indicating the PADD Kathryn was holding. “I’ll leave you to it then.”   
She headed for the doors and turned around just before they opened. “See you tonight.” 

Kathryn watched her exit the room and smiled. This day wouldn’t be so boring after all.

~ * ~ 

PART SIX

After her duty shift, Kathryn made her way over to her quarters. She wanted to freshen up and dress in something more casual for dinner with B’Elanna.   
She quickly took a sonic shower and slipped into a pair of jeans, put on a black sleeveless turtleneck top and simple black high heeled sandals.   
In front of the mirror she applied light touches of make up and selected small pearl earrings to complete the outfit. 

She took a step back and appraised her image. Looking good, without overly trying to.   
Kathryn grinned at herself, trying to remember the last time she’d gone through the ritual of getting ready for a date. She came up empty and shrugged.   
A quick glance at the chronometer told her she still had fifteen minutes. 

Kathryn sat down on the bed and thought about B’Elanna.   
She genuinely liked the younger woman. They shared the same love of science, the same desire to ‘grasp’ it. She also admired B’Elanna’s perseverance and enthusiasm, traits Kathryn valued in herself as well as in others. 

And she also secretly liked the fact that B’Elanna was as headstrong as she was. They were both just stubborn enough to be called ‘difficult’ at times, but not so much that they became unmanageable or impossible. 

There were plenty of differences between them too, of course. B’Elanna’s half Klingon blood made her a very fiery, passionate woman where Kathryn was often more controlled and careful.   
B’Elanna also wasn’t a firm believer in following the rules, or doing things by the book. Hers was the more creative approach, usually with varying degrees of success. 

It was a good mix of differences and similarities, Kathryn surmised: enough correspondence to connect and enough points of diversity to keep things interesting.   
B’Elanna was a valuable friend in her life and Kathryn was glad that they’d come so much closer these last few days. 

The idea that maybe they had a future together as a couple was certainly appealing. But she wasn’t about to rush things, and apparently, neither was B’Elanna. She was quite happy to just go with the flow and see where this would lead them. 

Smiling, she got up and headed for the door. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late.   
Kathryn received a few curious glances from crewmembers as she reached Deck Nine. It wasn’t often that the crew saw a casually dressed Captain walking around in the crew quarters area of the ship.   
She nodded friendly to all of them, vaguely wondering what they were thinking.

She was a bit relieved though that the corridor was empty when she pressed B’Elanna’s door chime. The last thing she needed was more speculation about her personal life.   
Kathryn had heard a few assumptions that were circulating through the grapevine from Chakotay and she’d learned that her crew had a very lively imagination indeed. 

There was a faint ‘come in’ and the doors in front of her opened, granting her access once more to B’Elanna’s living quarters.   
The younger woman, wearing a flattering stone red top on loose white linen pants, was standing at the replicator relaying a series of commands via its interface. 

She paused as Kathryn entered the room and went over to her, giving her a light hug and a kiss on the cheek.   
“Hi, come on in.” 

“Hi.” Kathryn grinned and gestured at the replicator. “Been slaving over dinner?” 

“Just programming a few changes in the pasta salad. This replicator never puts in enough blue cheese to my liking.” B’Elanna smiled. 

“Ooh, yum.” Kathryn approved. “It certainly sounds good to me.” 

“I didn’t have the time to set the table yet. I’ve been in Engineering a bit longer than expected.” B’Elanna opened a cupboard and took out plates. 

“I’ll help.” Kathryn said, taking them from her and carrying them to the table. “Problems in Engineering?” She asked over her shoulder.

B’Elanna shrugged. “We’ve had difficulties disengaging the secondary injector ports from the system. We probably should have overhauled them sooner. They’re quite badly damaged.” She explained. “They always take quite a beating in the event of power surges and that last little thing with the Hirogens...” 

“Didn’t help.” Kathryn finished for her. 

B’Elanna nodded. “Exactly.”   
She placed the cutlery next to the plates.   
“So, are you hungry yet or would you like a drink first?” 

“I wouldn’t mind some of that blue cheese pasta salad.” Kathryn stated. “Unless you’d rather wait a little.” 

“No problem.” B’Elanna said and went over to the replicator again. “I had an early lunch so I’m practically famished.”   
She replicated a big bowl of the salad and handed it over to Kathryn. “Do you want a bottle of white wine to go with it?” She asked.

Kathryn put the bowl on the table. “Sounds great.” 

As B’Elanna put the glasses on the table and poured the wine, Kathryn filled their plates.   
They both sat down and clinked their glasses. “Cheers.” 

With an amused look on her face, Kathryn noted the other woman’s almost voracious appetite.   
“You really are famished.” She stated dryly. 

B’Elanna looked up, blushing slightly. “Sorry. It’s because I’ve been running around Engineering all day.” She explained. “It works up an appetite.” She grinned. “Unlike sitting on the couch reading PADDs for hours.” 

“Well, if you want to switch jobs, say the word.” Kathryn offered good-naturedly. 

“No way.” B’Elanna shook her head. “This engine is my baby. Hands off.” 

Kathryn raised her eyebrow with a smile. “Don’t you trust me?” 

“It’s nothing personal really.” B’Elanna said cheekily. “More like... Well... Would you let me sit in that captain’s chair?” 

Pursing her lips, Kathryn pretended to be considering it. “Hmm... I could be persuaded...” 

B’Elanna squinted at her for a moment before replying. “I’m sure you could.”   
She raised her fork. “Do you like the pasta?” 

“I do.” Kathryn nodded. “Care to share your replicator specs?” 

“Maybe we can arrange something.” B’Elanna teased. 

“Okay,” Kathryn played along, “what do you want in return?” 

A com-signal interrupted them just then.  
“Engineering to Lieutenant Torres.” Lieutenant Carey’s voice sounded. 

Slightly annoyed, B’Elanna tapped her combadge. “Go ahead Carey.” 

“Sorry to disturb Ma’am, but we have a little problem down here. We’re attempting to get the secondary injector ports back online, but there’s a point five phase variance that keeps slipping into the antimatter stream. It would destabilize the core if we tried to use them in the system.” 

“Have you tried to correct the variance manually?” B’Elanna suggested.

“We have, but it only works for about five seconds. Then it goes critical again.” 

“Great.” B’Elanna muttered. “That means the containment field is unstable. Joe, it looks like you’ll have to disassemble the unit and recalibrate the field matrix.”

“I figured as much, but I wanted to check with you first.” 

B’Elanna could hear him sigh over the com-channel. “Let me know if you run into any other problems. Torres out.”

“You want to go down there? We can do this another time.” Kathryn offered.

“No, they can handle it.” B’Elanna smiled. “I’m having dinner with you tonight.” 

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. “So Lieutenant... Do you always put personal matters before ship’s business?” 

“Do me a favor, will you?” B’Elanna winked. “Don’t tell the Captain.” 

“My silence can be ensured in exchange for the recipe of this pasta dish.” Kathryn replied, having enjoyed every bite. 

“Deal.” B’Elanna nodded. “Now, some more wine?” 

“Only a little bit then.” Kathryn held out her glass. “I don’t hold my liquor very well.” 

B’Elanna stopped pouring. “You’re not an aggressive drunk, are you?” 

Kathryn laughed. “Not at all. I just fall asleep!” She bit her lip. “Well, usually I do anyway.” 

“What happens when you don’t fall asleep?” B’Elanna asked with a curious grin. 

“I once started singing.” Kathryn said, looking the tiniest bit embarrassed. 

“Singing?” 

Kathryn nodded. “Singing.” 

The mental picture in B’Elanna’s head was quite hilarious, but she half succeeded in keeping a straight face.   
“Which song?”

Kathryn was positively blushing now. She looked down at her food, closed her eyes and sighed. “This will haunt me for the rest of my days.” 

“I’ll try to make sure of that.” B’Elanna grinned. “So, which song?”

Ah what the hell, Kathryn thought.   
“Somewhere over the rainbow.” 

Both women held each other’s gaze for a moment, then they both just doubled up laughing. 

“It was years ago,” Kathryn started, still snickering, “when I was still in the Academy. I’d done quite badly on a Cultural Anthropology exam and my friends wanted to cheer me up by taking me to a party.” 

“I take it alcohol and twentieth century music are not exactly a good mix for you!” B’Elanna laughed. 

“That depends on how you look at it.” Kathryn grinned. “Someone made a recording of me while I stood singing on the table and somehow that footage found its way to my Anthropology professor.”

B’Elanna’s mouth dropped open in amused shock. “And that’s a good thing?” 

“Well, it’s been rumored that my impromptu performance is the reason I passed the exam...” Kathryn said cheekily.

B’Elanna shook her head and took a sip of wine.   
“You know, I’d love to see that recording...” 

Kathryn put her hands up. “To my knowledge it’s been destroyed.” 

“Right.” B’Elanna wiggled her eyebrows. “Wait ‘til we get back to the Alpha Quadrant. Someone out there must still have a copy.” 

“Let’s hope not.” Kathryn made a face and drank the last bit of wine. She put the empty glass on the table in front of her. 

“Do you want some more?” B’Elanna asked innocently, holding the bottle up. 

Kathryn chuckled and shook her head. “Best not, don’t you think?” 

B’Elanna smiled and shrugged. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” 

“Oh, I am NOT singing Lieutenant. Not going to happen. Not now, not ever.” 

“Okay.” B’Elanna grinned, her mind still stuck on the image of a half drunk, young Kathryn standing on a table. She didn’t need to see the real thing. Her imagination was entertaining enough.  
Then a thought crossed her mind. “Hey, I almost forgot. Are you ready for dessert?” 

Just as Kathryn wanted to answer, a com-signal interrupted the evening again. 

“Carey to Torres.”   
The man sounded a bit frustrated. 

“Yes Joe?” B’Elanna replied.

“We recalibrated the field matrix with surgical precision but there is still a point two phase variance in the antimatter flow. We don’t know what’s causing it.” 

B’Elanna thought for a second, but then sighed. “Ok Joe, good work anyway. I’ll come down in a minute and take a look at things. Torres out.”  
She got up and cast an apologetic look at her companion.   
“I’m sorry; it’ll only take five minutes. There’s probably nothing I can do right now, but I need to go down there and check.” 

“No problem.” Kathryn smiled. “Take your time. We’ll have dessert when you’re finished.” 

“Thanks.” B’Elanna placed a quick kiss on Kathryn’s head. “In that case, I’ll hurry back.”

Kathryn watched her scurry out of the room and sat back in her chair.   
She saw the empty plates on the table and got up to clear everything away. 

Having done that, she glanced at the chronometer: 21:25. B’Elanna would be back soon.   
Kathryn went over to the couch and sat down, leaning back. She felt the warm buzz of the wine flowing through her. It made her feel a little drowsy.   
Suppressing a yawn, she decided to close her eyes for a minute. 

~ * ~

B’Elanna walked down the corridor to her quarters, feeling a little guilty. It was well after 2200 hours and she was sure Kathryn wouldn’t be very happy. In fact she’d probably left ages ago. 

When B’Elanna entered her quarters, she noticed the lights were still on. The dinner table was cleared.   
And Kathryn was still there, lying on the couch fast asleep. 

B’Elanna walked over and crouched on the floor next to her. She didn’t stir.   
The wine, B’Elanna remembered, was probably responsible for this.   
What should she do now? She didn’t really want to wake Kathryn out of what seemed like a deep sleep. 

Getting up quietly, B’Elanna went into her bedroom and came back with a blanket. She gently draped it over Kathryn’s sleeping form, tucking her in.   
Then she sat down on the floor looking at her.   
Kathryn’s features were softer in sleep. B’Elanna had to resist the urge to reach out and touch the woman’s face. 

She sat there for a while, enjoying the opportunity to study the Captain without her noticing. But eventually fatigue claimed B’Elanna and she decided she’d better go to bed herself since she had to get up early.   
A brief check on the computer console on her desk told her that Kathryn also had the early shift the next morning. She’d wake her up then.  
B’Elanna ordered the lights to 5% of full illumination and entered her bedroom. 

~ * ~

PART SEVEN

It was a shame she had to wake the woman sleeping so peacefully on her couch, B’Elanna thought.   
A faint smile was playing around Kathryn’s lips and her eyes were moving behind her eyelids, which seemed to indicate that she was dreaming. 

Already fully dressed, B’Elanna sat down on the floor next to her and softly stroked Kathryn’s tousled auburn hair.   
“Kathryn...” She whispered. “It’s time to wake up.”

The woman stirred, but didn’t wake. 

“Kathryn...” B’Elanna tried again, a little louder this time. 

After the second urging Kathryn slowly opened her eyes. A lazy smile appeared on her face when she saw who was waking her up.   
“Hey...” She croaked. 

“Good morning sleepyhead.” B’Elanna replied, clearing a few strands of hair from Kathryn’s face. 

Kathryn stretched her body for a moment and then frowned slightly. “What time is it?” 

“0730.” B’Elanna replied. “We have a briefing at 0800. I thought half an hour was enough time for you to get dressed.” 

“Thanks.” Kathryn yawned and sat up, realizing she’d slept in her clothes. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep last night.”

“No problem.” B’Elanna said. “I stayed in Engineering a lot longer than I planned and when I came back you were snoring on my couch. I thought I’d just let you sleep.” 

“I don’t snore.” Kathryn stated.

B’Elanna grinned and got up, walking to the other side of the room.   
She came back with a cup of hot coffee and held it out. “Oh you snore lady.” 

But Kathryn didn’t pay attention to her anymore. She was now staring lovingly at the cup and its alleged content. “Oh dear... You just read my mind.” 

“Enjoy.” B’Elanna said as she watched with raised eyebrows how Kathryn went through her morning coffee ritual. 

First she wrapped both hands around the cup and brought it to her mouth. But she didn’t drink yet.  
She sniffed the coffee first, slowly inhaling its aroma, while her eyes closed.  
Then the tip of the tongue darted out, moisturizing her lips before she put the cup against her bottom lip tilting it gradually until the hot liquid touched the upper one.   
She drew away slightly, licking the coffee from the lip with her tongue and made a throaty appreciative sound.   
Only then did she have her first actual sip. 

B’Elanna had half a mind of dropping on her knees in front of Kathryn and join in. Too bad she didn’t really like coffee.   
“Well,” she grinned, “I’ll leave you two alone then.” 

Kathryn looked up. “Why?” 

“I want to stop by Engineering before the briefing. Check on progress with the injector ports.” She clarified.  
“You can shower and replicate a uniform here if you want to.”

“Thanks, I will.” Kathryn said as she got up from her makeshift bed. “I’ll see you at the briefing then.” 

“Yeah, see you then.” In the spur of the moment, B’Elanna leaned forward and softly kissed Kathryn on the lips.   
She scrunched her nose playfully. “I figured as much: you taste like coffee.”   
Then she turned around and casually walked out of the room, grabbing her uniform jacket from a chair as she passed it. 

Kathryn licked her lips as she watched the doors close behind B’Elanna’s back and felt a grin spread on her face.

~ * ~

Kathryn Janeway was sitting at the head of the briefing room table, trying very hard not to grin like a madman.   
From her left, Chakotay kept throwing questioning glances her way and she knew she was being far too obvious. But she couldn’t help it really. 

She could still feel the soft warm lips of her Chief Engineer on her own and risked a glance in B’Elanna’s direction.   
A hot surge ran right through her as she saw that the woman was observing her as well.   
With her heart trumpeting in her chest, Kathryn flashed B’Elanna a brief smile and then directed her attention to Tuvok, who was finishing up his weekly security report. 

Easily slipping into Captain-mode, Kathryn approved his request for a shield modification that he and Seven had come up with and then turned to B’Elanna.  
“Lieutenant, what’s the status in Engineering?” 

“We think we’ve corrected the problem with the secondary injector ports.” B’Elanna reported, trying not to let her eyes linger on Kathryn for too long and only half succeeding.  
“Preliminary tests look good. I’d like to hook them up to the system and see if we can get a stable plasma flow.” 

Kathryn looked around to see if there were any objections, but saw none.   
“Sounds good.” She spoke. “Let us know when you’re ready.”

B’Elanna nodded. “Yes Captain.” 

Kathryn placed both hands flat on the table and looked around. “Alright, that’s all for today. Dismissed.”

The members of the senior staff got up, but, as Kathryn had suspected, B’Elanna didn’t seem to be in a hurry.   
As the others filed out of the room and the doors closed, Kathryn watched the half Klingon collect her PADDs and slowly get up as well.   
When B’Elanna looked at her, she grinned back and casually walked over to her Chief Engineer, planning on teasing her a little. 

Taking B’Elanna’s face in her hands, she leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss on the Lieutenant’s lips, much like B’Elanna had done to her earlier that morning. Then she backed off and grinned enticingly.   
“Have a nice day Lieutenant.”

She’d planned on just walking out of the briefing room, leaving B’Elanna a bit flustered, just like the woman had done to her.  
But that was not what B’Elanna had in mind.

She grabbed Kathryn’s wrist and spun her around, pressing her body intimately against her own.   
Kathryn gasped in surprise as she suddenly found herself in a tight embrace, looking into B’Elanna’s dark eyes. 

For about two seconds the air around them was filled with anticipation until their heads moved closer together and the electricity that had been building between them for days now, discharged in a deep kiss that made Kathryn’s toes curl.   
She moaned as B’Elanna pushed her against the table and pressed a thigh between her legs. 

With superhuman effort, Kathryn drew her head back a little.   
“Oh honey, not here, not now.” She whispered under labored breathing. 

B’Elanna had to look around to remember where she was. She swallowed hard and rested her forehead against Kathryn’s.   
“You’re right.” 

Kathryn wiped traces of her own lipstick off B’Elanna’s mouth with her thumb.   
“Tonight.” She promised the other woman with a sultry look.

“You’ve got yourself a date lady.” B’Elanna grinned and then stood back, allowing Kathryn to straighten her uniform. 

As they exited the briefing room, Kathryn playfully squeezed B’Elanna’s buttocks and whispered ‘have a nice day’ in her ear before making her way to the command chair on the Bridge, grinning wide. 

~ * ~

“Torres to Bridge.”

Kathryn tapped her combadge. “Yes B’Elanna?”

“We’re ready to bring the secondary injector ports online.” Came Torres’s voice over the comline. “But we’ll have to go to impulse for a moment to do that otherwise the warp field will destabilize.”

“Acknowledged.” Kathryn nodded, at the same time silently giving the order to Tom who was looking over his shoulder. 

“Proceed.” Kathryn ordered. 

Harry Kim reported the readouts that were appearing on his console.  
“The injector ports are online; matter/antimatter flow is stable; plasma flow is constant.”

After a moment B’Elanna’s voice sounded over the comline. “We’re hooked up. We should be able to go to warp again.”

“Do it Tom.” Kathryn ordered. “Warp two.”

“The warp field is forming, no fluctuations.” Harry reported dutifully.   
“No, wait...” He tapped his console to verify what he saw before saying it. “There’s a phase variance in the plasma flow... Point zero five, point two...” 

“B’Elanna what’s happening down there?” Kathryn asked alarmed. 

“The phase variance will cause the warp coils to overload. I can’t disengage them! Controls aren’t responding!” B’Elanna half shouted.  
“I’ll try to shut the plasma flow down manually!”

Harry Kim was still tapping furiously on his console, trying to help in any way he could.   
There was little time, he saw: a power surge was imminent. B’Elanna would be too close. 

As he tried to warn her over the comchannel, there already was an explosion in the bowels of the ship and Voyager lunged sideways, the inertial dampeners too slow to correct for the sudden movement. 

Everybody scrambled to their feet and Harry tapped his console to open a channel.  
“B’Elanna?” He yelled.

There was no answer.

~ * ~

PART EIGHT

“Get me 3cc of cordrazine, now!” The Doctor ordered Crewman Jurot, one of the part time nurses. She complied, directly administering the dose to the lifeless body of B’Elanna Torres. 

Seconds stretched out for an eternity before the constant flatline sound turned into unsteady beeps, indicating a weak heartbeat. 

A collective sigh of relief went through the room, but the battle was far from won. 

The whole left side of B’Elanna’s body was covered with second and third degree plasma burns from the explosion. Her left hand would need extensive reconstructive surgery. 

If she survived, that was. 

A huge chunk of metal had wedged itself into B’Elanna’s chest as the conduit next to her had exploded. Then as Voyager had taken an inelegant lunge to the left, B’Elanna’s body had smacked into a bulkhead, driving the piece of metal even deeper as a result.

It had punctured her heart, as well as done severe damage to two of her lungs and her liver, and caused massive internal bleeding.   
The strain on her body was so extreme that her heart wasn’t able to cope for much more than a few seconds.   
By the time she’d been beamed to Sickbay it had already stopped. 

The Doctor had worked as fast as he could to repair the damage. Time and precision were of the essence. If the heart would still leak blood into the pericardium when they’d try to make it start pumping again, it would fill with blood and B’Elanna might still die. 

Fortunately the readings indicated that everything was going well. B’Elanna’s diastolic blood pressure was a little low but steady, indicating that her heart was indeed pumping blood around like it was supposed to. 

Now that his patient was technically alive again, the Doctor focused his attention on B’Elanna’s damaged lungs.   
Two of the three had been punctured and were filled with fluid and the remaining one was having difficulty supplying enough oxygen to the bloodstream. 

Concentrating and thinking of nothing but the task at hand, the Doctor worked meticulously and steadfast, trying to save the life of his friend and colleague. Jurot and Tom Paris assisted him in any way they could.

From a corner, well out of the way, Kathryn didn’t really notice the buzz of activity around B’Elanna. She could only see how the beaten body was lying so very still on the table.   
B’Elanna’s face was ghostly white and expressionless.

And Kathryn could do nothing but watch, the cold grip of fear keeping her heart in a tight, morbid embrace.   
She watched as B’Elanna flatlined again and how the Doctor brought her back. 

Kathryn stood there and watched them work for god knew how long before the Doctor finally turned around and made his way to her.

“It’s a miracle she’s still alive.” He said, shaking his head. “She owes that to the Klingon side of the family. I doubt any human would’ve made it this far.” He paused for a second. “She’s fighting with everything she’s got.” 

“What’s the prognosis?” Kathryn asked, her voice raw with emotion.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “Hard to say. Physically I think the worst is over. Her heart is beating steadily, two of her lungs are working now, and so is her liver. But there is a risk of brain damage from the lack of oxygen she suffered when she was in cardiac arrest.”  
He sighed. “I’m going to begin repairing the damage to her hand and lower arm. You should get some rest Captain, there’s nothing you can do here anyway.” 

Kathryn swallowed, feeling tears prick behind her eyes. “Let me know...?” She croaked. 

The Doctor placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “I will.” He said with a comforting voice, then walked back to his patient.

With one last look at B’Elanna, Kathryn walked out of Sickbay, feeling literally sick.

~ * ~

When she arrived at her quarters, Kathryn didn’t dare go to sleep, even though it was well past midnight.   
The image of B’Elanna’s injured body was etched on the inside of her eyelids. And seeing it still made her stomach turn. 

She sat down on the couch, unzipping her uniform jacket but not taking it off, and leaned back, covering her face with both hands.   
“Don’t die.” She whispered into the quiet air. 

Thoughts and feelings were rumbling through her head and she made no conscious effort to control them.   
She sat like that for an hour or two before she got up again. She wanted to be in Sickbay, close to the woman she’d come to love so much.

~ * ~

The Doctor looked up from his desk when Kathryn entered Sickbay, but made no effort to get up.   
B’Elanna was lying on the biobed on the far side of the room, still unconscious.   
Kathryn wanted nothing more than to go to her, but stopped by the Doctor’s office first. 

“Captain, I thought you were getting some rest.” The Doctor said disapprovingly when he noticed how tired the woman still looked.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Kathryn replied quickly. “How is she?” 

“Still in a coma.” He reported. “Although she seems a bit more responsive than before. I’m taking that as a good sign.” 

“Can I go see her?” Kathryn asked, not actually prepared to take no for an answer.

“Of course.” The Doctor nodded. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thank you Doctor.” Kathryn half smiled, feeling immensely grateful that he wasn’t coming with her. 

She walked over to the biobed where B’Elanna was lying, seemingly asleep.   
The new skin on her left side where the plasma burns had been, was pinkish, even in the dim light. It would take a while for it all to heal properly, Kathryn knew.   
But at least B’Elanna looked like herself again. The image of the burned and battered body was rapidly receding in Kathryn’s mind, something she was very grateful for.

She grabbed a high stool and sat down next to B’Elanna.   
“Hi there, sleeping beauty...” Kathryn whispered, softly stroking the other woman’s cheek.   
She glanced briefly in the direction of the Doctor’s office and noted that he wasn’t paying attention to her.   
Kathryn bowed down. “I thought I’d come wake you with a kiss.” She whispered before softly pressing her lips against B’Elanna’s. 

B’Elanna’s eyes remained closed, as Kathryn had suspected they would.  
But that didn’t matter. She could sense that B’Elanna was there and chose not to question that feeling.

“You know,” Kathryn continued, still stroking B’Elanna’s face lightly, “this isn’t exactly how I imagined our first night together would be like.” 

In her mind she could hear B’Elanna chuckle.

“I’m beginning to see a pattern here. You weren’t exactly aware of our first kiss, and now you’re unconscious during the first night we spend together.”   
Kathryn paused, suddenly no longer seeing the humor in it.  
“Come back to me.” She whispered, barely audible, and then sighed. 

She bent forward and rested her head on her arm so that her face was right next to B’Elanna’s.   
Even though the younger woman wasn’t conscious, Kathryn drew comfort from studying her face, hearing the steady breath and picking up the vague scent she was so fond of.   
After some time, her eyelids grew heavy, and feeling safe in the close proximity of the woman she loved, Kathryn surrendered to her fatigue.

~ * ~

A faint beeping on a nearby console made the Doctor look up from his work. A trace of alarm briefly crossed his holographic features. Surely B’Elanna’s condition hadn’t deteriorated?   
Upon closer inspection of the data being displayed he quickly determined that it was quite the opposite. B’Elanna seemed to be on the verge of regaining consciousness. 

Immediately he made his way over to the Klingon’s bedside and noted absently that the Captain was still fast asleep, her head perched on the biobed and her body balancing on the chair. She’d have a hell of a back ache when she woke up, he mused. 

B’Elanna stirred slightly and made a low noise. The Doctor stood next to her, stroking his patient’s hair with a comforting hand, a soothing smile on his face.   
When B’Elanna opened her eyes, he witnessed the panic in her eyes, but then it changed into a confused frown and her mouth opened to ask for information. 

“You gave us quite a scare Lieutenant.” The Doctor whispered, trying not to wake the Captain.   
His tricorder scans showed that his patient was doing quite well considering what she’d been through.   
“Are you in any pain?” 

“Head hurts.” B’Elanna rasped. “What happened?”

The Doctor shushed her, warning her to take it easy before answering her question. “There was an accident in Engineering. A conduit exploded and pieces of it were wedged in your chest. You’re quite lucky to be alive.”

“I’m too stubborn to die.” B’Elanna grinned weakly, her eyes inadvertently shifting to the sleeping form next to her.

The Doctor followed her gaze. “In your case I would be too.” He said softly, his gentle smile indicating that he’d put two and two together and was pleased with the outcome. 

“Let her sleep some more, she needs it.” He advised. “In fact, I’d strongly suggest you try to get some more rest as well. Your neurological scans seem to indicate that there is no brain damage, but your body has been through quite a lot. You definitely could use some more rest.” 

B’Elanna nodded, feeling the fatigue deep inside her bones, and suddenly understood fully how close she’d come to never waking up again.   
Once more her eyes fell on the sleeping form of Kathryn and she smiled. 

~ * ~

In her sleep, Kathryn moved a bit and groaned when her muscles protested against the impossible position they’d found themselves in for hours. 

For a brief minute, Kathryn wondered what the hell had happened to her bed but then she suddenly realized where she was: in Sickbay with B’Elanna.  
As she sat up, she was surprised to find brown eyes looking up at her.

“You’re awake...” Kathryn stammered, not sure if she was imagining it or not.

“So are you.” B’Elanna stated dryly, her eyes twinkling.

“How are you feeling?” Kathryn asked, wincing as she tried to ease the strain on her back muscles. 

“Better than you, from the looks of it.” B’Elanna replied. With some effort, she scooted over to the edge of the biobed, patting the small space she’d created next to her.   
“Here, lie down for a minute.” 

One eyebrow climbed upwards on Kathryn’s face, then it descended again and Kathryn grinned. Using the chair for leverage she managed to get onto the biobed with relative ease and snuggled into the narrow space, lying on her side facing B’Elanna. 

“Better?” B’Elanna asked.

“Much better.” Kathryn replied, stroking the other woman’s cheek with her hand, getting reassurance from the contact. The idea that B’Elanna almost didn’t make it was suddenly very present in her mind.   
“I’m so glad you’re okay...” She whispered. 

B’Elanna swallowed hard as she saw the intensity of Kathryn’s emotions in her blue eyes.   
“Me too.” She whispered back, getting hold of Kathryn’s hand with her good arm, guiding the knuckles to her lips and kissing them lightly. 

The beeping of a tricorder interrupted the quiet moment. 

“Oh don’t mind me.” The Doctor said smugly, as Kathryn looked up at him. “I’m just checking on my patient’s hormone levels.” 

B’Elanna chuckled, then winced at the surge of pain that coursed through her chest. 

“Alright, that’s it.” The Doctor said in his best authoritative voice.   
He pointed at the Captain, then at the door. “You, out. This is a Sickbay, not a honeymoon suite. She needs to rest.”

He just glared at Kathryn when she opened her mouth to protest. Surprisingly it worked. 

Kathryn moved off the biobed, her back still sore, and leaned over B’Elanna, softly stroking her hair. “We’ll continue this later,” she started, looking up at the Doctor, “without the chaperone.” 

“It’s a date.” B’Elanna whispered. 

Kathryn dipped her head a little lower, placing a soft kiss on B’Elanna’s lips. “Get some rest.”

B’Elanna nodded with a smile. “You too...” 

Before Kathryn was out of Sickbay, B’Elanna had already fallen asleep, the smile still dancing around her lips. 

~ * ~

PART NINE

B’Elanna winced as she lowered herself on the couch in her quarters. The trip from Sickbay had exhausted her more than she liked to admit. She doubted very much she would have been able to make it without Kathryn’s help. 

The noise of cupboards opening and closing in her bedroom distracted her for a moment. She was just about to ask Kathryn what on earth she was doing in there when she saw her emerge from the bedroom carrying a huge stack of pillows and soft cushions. 

“You picked a lousy time for a pillow fight.” B’Elanna commented dryly, indicating her left side. 

Kathryn grinned. “From your perspective maybe. At least with you incapacitated I stand a chance.”   
She dropped all but one of the pillows on the other futon. “Here, let me put this behind your back.” 

B’Elanna didn’t protest and obediently leaned forward, allowing Kathryn to position a big, soft pillow behind her.   
“That’s much better. Thank you.” She uttered softly when she sat back against it. 

Kathryn continued to provide extra padding wherever she thought it would benefit and then sat down on a small side of the couch.   
“You look tired.” She observed, stroking B’Elanna’s hair soothingly. 

“I am.” B’Elanna admitted with a slight smile. 

“You should eat a little. Get your strength back.” Kathryn suggested. 

A look of worry crossed B’Elanna’s features. “You’re not going to cook for me, are you?” 

Kathryn grinned. “And here I was thinking NOTHING scared the brave Lieutenant Torres.” 

“I’m just saying that if this is going to be a ‘love me, love my cooking’-deal, then we should rethink this whole business.” B’Elanna smirked.

Kathryn pursed her lips. “How about we compromise on ‘love me, love my replicating’?” 

“Hmm.” B’Elanna thought for a moment. “Deal, but only if you stick to proven recipes. No adding things, no tweaking!” 

“I can live with that.” Kathryn said, eyes twinkling. She leaned towards B’Elanna, placing a teasing kiss on her lips before murmuring: “I’m particularly interested in the ‘love’ part of this deal.” 

B’Elanna’s breathing quickened. “It does sound more interesting than the food part.” 

She moaned quietly as Kathryn moved in closer and started nibbling on her neck, then placed feathery kisses on her jawbone and chin before coming to a halt a hair’s breadth away from B’Elanna’s lips. 

B’Elanna eagerly closed the distance, kissing her lover with all the pent up passion she felt and Kathryn responded enthusiastically.   
In the need to get closer to her lover, B’Elanna made a wrong move and fell back on the couch with a groan. 

Kathryn instantly got off her. “Are you alright?” She asked worriedly. 

B’Elanna nodded, breathing hard.   
She smiled apologetically. “I guess it’ll be a while before I’m up to this.” 

“Well, we’ve waited this long, what’s a few more days...” Kathryn said with a lopsided grin. “Come here...” She settled in next to the younger woman and put her arm around her ever so gently so as not to hurt her further. 

Nuzzling Kathryn’s neck, B’Elanna made a sound that sounded much like a kitten purring and then yawned unceremoniously as fatigue caught up with her. 

“Why don’t you sleep for a while?” Kathryn whispered, stroking B’Elanna’s hair. 

She responded with an unintelligent mumble that indicated she was well on her way to dreamland already. 

Kathryn smiled and softly placed a kiss on B’Elanna’s temple. Feelings of gratitude to be there with this very special woman flooded her senses. 

She lowered her mouth to the sleeping woman’s ear.  
“I love you.” She breathed.

In her dreams, B’Elanna slowly kissed Kathryn before replying. “I love you too...”


End file.
